The present invention concerns automated tooling and pertains particularly to a versatile input/output control and power distribution block for use with automated tooling.
When using automated tooling, a programmable logic controller is often required to send output control signals to and receive input sensor signals from several automated tools. Typically the connection to each automated tool consists of three wires: a wire which carries a ground signal, a wire which carries a power signal, and a wire which either carries control/status signal which either forwards a control signal to the automated tool or receives a sensor signal from the automated tool.
The connections from the automated tools are typically terminated at a termination block. At the termination block, the ground signals and the power signals connected to the automated tools are combined. The termination block passes the control signals and the sensor signals between the programmable logic controller and the individual automated tools.
The three individual wires from each automated tool, grouped together in a sensor cable, have been connected to a terminator block using wire leads held in individual wire receptacles. However, when the automation tools are used in production, often this can result in the sensor cables being subject to repetitive motion. Over the course of time, this can result in the wires within the cables becoming permanently or intermittently defective. When wire leads are held in individual wire receptacles, replacement of the sensor cables can be time consuming.
To alleviate this problem, some manufacturers have utilized sensor cables with connectors which can be plugged into a terminator block. This has provided for an easier replacement of defective sensor cables. However, existing units which utilize these types of connectors typically can connect to no more than eight sensor connector cables and are not backward compatible with automated tools which require the use of pull-up/down resistors or which have wires with flying leads.